Photos and Paper Hats
by Forbidden Tomatoes
Summary: It's Noctis' birthday, and his friends are planning a surprise party for him at Hammerhead. Prompto is left with the responsibility of keeping him distracted while they set up.


**I wrote this entire thing Wednesday night and didn't sleep because of it. Please enjoy reading this with the knowledge that I can, indeed, write over 3k in one sitting if it's for a request to give Noctis a happy birthday fic.**

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In terms of surprise parties, the person in charge of distractions was higher up on the list of important jobs. In Prompto's opinion, it was the absolute most important, which is why he was currently an anxious mess.

Ignis, being the one to give out orders and handle preparations, had issued the job to him on the ground of "his boyfriend, his responsibility", and while he was happy to spend the time with him, he was afraid he'd accidentally spill the secret. Still, he was determined to take his role seriously and entertain Noctis until they were ready for him at Hammerhead.

Gladio and Ignis were using the excuse of helping Cid at the garage. When Noctis asked what they were supposed to do, he was waved off, Gladio saying something about taking the Regalia for a spin.

Before they had a chance to leave, Ignis caught Prompto by the arm. "Do try not to wreck into anything this time," he whispered into his ear.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Prompto assured him, beginning to back away with a thumbs up. "I'm better than I used to be, promise."

Ignis sighed, not looking like he could be bothered with anything else at the moment. "I'll call you when it's time," he said, disappearing into the garage behind Gladio.

Prompto smiled at Noctis as he hopped into the driver's seat. "Anywhere you wanna go?" he asked.

"Wanna grab something to eat somewhere?" Noctis suggested.

Crap, they couldn't eat. Ignis said they'd have food for everyone at the party, and Prompto didn't want Noctis ruining his appetite. It looked like he was going to have to make his own diversions.

"I don't think Ignis and Gladio would appreciate us eating without them," he rushed out. "Let's do something fun! If we tell everyone it's your birthday, we might get free stuff."

Noctis laughed. "Stop trying to make a big deal of my birthday, Prom," he said, relaxing with his hands behind his head as the car began moving.

"What? Why would I do that," Prompto argued. "It's your day and you're gonna enjoy it."

"Alright, alright. Don't start threatening me, here." Noctis yawned. "So, what are we gonna do, Mister Chauffer?"

Prompto laughed at the nickname. "Why am I picking?"

"Because I can't think of anything."

"Hm," Prompto hummed. "Then how about we just drive? Let's just go nowhere and be as dramatic as possible."

Apparently it was good enough for Noctis, seeing as he sank down more into the seat with a yawn. "Fine by me," he agreed.

It wasn't hard to see that Noctis was falling asleep within minutes. He figured the group had already tired him out from wishing him a happy birthday and then making him do more tasks than usual, not to mention all the people they met throughout the day wishing him well. Prompto had always found it ironic that Noctis had an aversion to attention.

"Hey, Noct," Prompto said quietly.

"Yeah?"

Prompto gripped the wheel tighter. "I didn't get to ask you before, but what _do_ you want for your birthday?"

Silence surrounded them, save for the whirring of the engine. Noctis didn't open his eyes.

"I don't really do presents anymore, so I'm not sure," he finally replied.

"Aw, come on," Prompto urged. "You gotta think of something you want. Doesn't even have to be a physical thing." He glanced at him and smiled, knowing Noctis had his eyes open just enough to see him.

Noctis sighed, following with a small laugh. "Fine, I want you to kiss me," he decided.

Prompto _tsk_ ed with a shake of his head. "I do that every day, Noct. Be creative."

"What, you want me to use my imagination and go further with that?" he teased. "If you want, I can think of some things to-"

"Noctis, I will pull over this car."

Noctis sat up in an instant. "Not in the Regalia, Ignis would kill us."

A beat passed, and Prompto burst into laughter. "C'mon, I was kidding," he said between breaths. "But fine, I can still kiss you."

The easiness of the drive was a welcoming feeling to Prompto. He knew he'd never show it, but Ignis had been getting stressed over planning Noctis' party in time. Even with the other two pitching in, he was still concerned with making it perfect. And when Ignis was stressed, everyone was stressed.

"Oh, we can stop and buy you something around here," Prompto offered.

The beginnings of a pout were showing on Noctis' face, which was absolutely adorable to Prompto. "Stop trying to buy me things, I already said no."

"We can stop somewhere so I can kiss you."

"That place over there seems cool."

"There we go."

It was only a small gas station, but Prompto pulled over anyway. After asking Noctis to refuel the Regalia, he hurried inside, slamming his hands on the back counter, earning a shocked look from the cashier. "Do you have anything I can make into a paper hat?"

A few minutes later, Prompto exited the store. His hands were being held carefully behind his back as he approached Noctis stealthily from behind.

Right as Noctis returned the gas pump, Prompto reached over and placed the makeshift party hat on his head.

"What the-"

"You're not allowed to take that off," Prompto instructed, "because you need a birthday hat, and I'm the one who made it for you."

Noctis' hand left the string under his neck. "So I have to keep this on? And look stupid by myself all day?"

"Not at all." He produced a second hat, placing it on his own head amongst his mess of hair. "We get to look stupid together!"

Thankfully, Noctis could never refuse Prompto's charms. "I guess we do," he said.

They returned to the car and got back on the road. However, Prompto only drove a few minutes before pulling over at a bend in the road.

"Okay, hop out," he instructed.

Noctis gave him a puzzled look. "But we just-"

"Humor me, man."

Once they were both standing beside the Regalia, Prompto took out his camera and hooked it around the strap on his neck. "There's a spot down there I wanna take a picture together at," he explained, pointing down the hillside. "Can you get my tripod from the back?"

"Sure thing." Noctis went around the back and popped the trunk. He reached in while Prompto fiddled with the settings on his camera, but came up empty-handed. "Hey, what's all this stuff in here?"

"Wait, what?"

Prompto stumbled trying to reach the car, suddenly in a panic. There wasn't supposed to be anything else back there.

"There's a book and some rolls of paper-"

"Nothing, that's nothing!" Prompto said, frantically snatching up the tripod and slamming the trunk closed harder than he should have. "Just some, uh, stuff for me." He tried to cover up the blunder with a smile, but Noctis still raised an eyebrow at him.

While Noctis hopped the roadside railing with the tripod, Prompto breathed a sigh of relief. _Shit_ , he thought, _Gladio was supposed to take that out._ All he could hope for now was that Noctis was oblivious enough to not see the surprise coming. He couldn't live with himself if he'd just ruined it.

"Prompto, you coming?"

He snapped out of his daze and followed him. They made their way down the hillside to a flat rock that overlooked a huge expanse of the area.

"Wow," Noctis admired, "this is really nice."

The sun was on its way to the horizon, bathing every tree and building in a soft orange light. Sceneries always got to Prompto and made him emotional, especially around his friends. This one gave him hope for the days to come, the feeling that everything would turn out fine with Noctis right there by his side. And he wanted to take a picture of that moment.

"Alright, perfect moment. Start acting like a hopeless romantic and gimme the tripod."

Noctis produced the stand as if he were gifting a sword with a flourish and a bow, glancing up at Prompto with the faintest smile on his lips. "Like that?"

"Perfect," Prompto replied, setting it up at a good distance from where they would be standing. He attached his trusty camera to the top of it and looked through the lens to check the settings one more time. After a moment's thought, he set it to take multiple pictures. "You ready?"

"Yup. And you still owe me that kiss," he pointed out.

Prompto walked back and gently hooked his arms over Noctis' shoulders. "You're right, I forgot back there," he said. "I'll make up for it."

Their lips met right as Prompto heard the camera shutter. He smiled into the kiss; he had a feeling it was a great shot.

When Noctis pulled away, Prompto opened his eyes to see him still smiling. He looked content, and that was all Prompto needed.

"So now can I take off the-"

"Hat stays on, sorry."

Noctis playfully shoved Prompto's arm aside. "Why are you making me wear this?" he asked.

"Because it makes you look cute, duh. Now smile for the camera, it's about to go off again."

They turned to face the camera, Prompto grinning from ear to ear and Noctis donning a casual yet sincere smile as it flashed once more. There was no doubt in Prompto's mind that they were adorable.

Prompto rushed to the tripod and turned the camera around, dragging Noctis with him. "Different lighting for the last one on the other side," he explained.

He felt Noctis' arm rest on his shoulder. "What pose do we do for this one?"

"You pick," Prompto replied.

Noctis shifted his arm to Prompto's other shoulder so that he was half-hugging him. "How long 'til the picture goes off?"

"About ten seconds."

"And this is the last one?"

"Should be," Prompto asked. He was starting to get suspicious of the sly way his boyfriend was speaking.

Next thing he knew, Noctis had knocked both of their crude paper hats off and was leaning in to kiss him right under his ear, exactly where he knew it tickled him.

"Noct, stop-"

But it was too late. Prompto couldn't contain his laughter as he tried to push his boyfriend away from him, but he repeatedly kissed him against his will. Noctis held him steadfast, only letting go after the picture was taken, but he still had a triumphant light in his eyes.

"You-You're terrible," Prompto laughed out, letting his head fall onto Noctis' shoulder in defeat.

Noctis placed a soft kiss on Prompto's forehead. "You stick with me, though," he pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't go turning this on me."

"Wasn't trying to."

They sat down beside each other on the rock, enjoying each other's company. Prompto asked Noctis if he'd enjoyed his birthday several times, asking again "just to make sure" a few more times after that.

"I just wanted to know if I did good, okay?" Prompto asked, reached for his phone in his back pocket. He hadn't heard it go off yet, but Ignis had to have been ready by then. Right?

Noctis yawned. "You did do good, Prom," he assured. But Prompto wasn't listening. His phone wasn't in his pocket.

"Hah, thanks, man," Prompto said nervously. "It's getting pretty dark out, wanna head back?" he asked, not even waiting for his response. He stood up so quickly he nearly fell, taking the camera off of the tripod and hooking it back around his neck.

While he was folding up the tripod, Noctis placed a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, I think they'll be fine at Hammerhead for a while," he said. Prompto appreciated the comfort attempt, but it wasn't helping his situation.

"Yeah, I-I just wanted to make sure we don't run into any daemons on the way. Don't feel like stopping to take care of that." It was the best he could come up with.

Noctis shrugged. "If it matters to you, we can go."

Prompto sent a silent thanks to the Astrals. Noctis helped him carry the tripod back to the Regalia, but Prompto instructed him to get in the front while he put it in the trunk. He didn't want to remind him of the contents in the back. When he spotted his phone amongst the other things, he groaned. Looking at it was worse—twelve missed calls and five texts from Ignis _and_ Gladio. He shot back a quick text to Gladio saying he was sorry and they were on their way and shoved the phone into his pocket.

"Alright," he announced, hopping into the driver's seat and hoping his nerves weren't showing through, "we're off."

He sincerely hoped that Ignis wouldn't kill him when they got there.

"Prompto, you sure you okay?" Noctis asked. "You're driving like someone you love is dying across the country."

It wasn't that catastrophic, but he was worried. What if they were too late, and everyone had gone home already? What if they got tired of waiting and weren't prepared for the surprise part? It wouldn't work if they weren't ready to hop out and shout.

"Prom, pull over so I can drive."

"Huh?"

Noctis crossed his arms. "Something's up with you. I don't mind taking your place."

"No, no, I'm okay. Sorry, just spacing out." Technically he wasn't lying.

He didn't push it, but he still had a worried crease in his brow. "Fine, but let me know if you need to switch."

"Aw, so sweet," Prompto teased.

"No, really. Don't push yourself too hard," he said. "I love you, so don't go getting yourself hurt, okay?"

Prompto felt himself calm down considerably. He melted when Noctis told him he loved him; it didn't happen all that often, since the other two always made fun of them for it. Namely Gladio. "I'll keep that in mind."

When they arrived at Hammerhead, Prompto checked his phone for any new messages. He responded to Ignis, who had asked about their location, telling him they were about to walk up.

Noctis glanced around. He must have noticed that the place was void of people and it's accompanied noise, because he suddenly looked confused. "Why is the garage closed?" he asked.

"Dunno," Prompto responded, "let's go check it out."

He was trying not to grin, but it was extremely difficult. He was excited to see his reaction.

Prompto peeked through the side door, which had been left slightly ajar. "Let's go in!" He dashed through the opening, ducking down to take his place behind a crate.

He heard the door creak open, breaking through the silence. "Prom?" Noctis called. "Do you see anything in there?"

The lights flipped on, and everyone jumped up from their hiding spots, a chorus of people yelling "Surprise!"

Noctis jumped back an inch, making Prompto laugh. "Gotcha, didn't we?"

The place had been spruced up to make room for a table in the middle for a delicious-looking array of foods, and another for Noctis to sit at. Ignis had done a good job of keeping it simple.

A group of people surrounded Noctis in a few short moments, wishing him a happy birthday and trying to either shake his hand or hug him. He'd seemed to regain an understanding of the situation, soon complying and accepting the birthday wishes.

After the crowd dispersed, Ignis appeared before Prompto with his arms crossed and a displeased look etched into his features. He didn't say anything, only stared a hole into Prompto's forehead.

"Uh, I got distracted...distracting Noctis." It was a bad excuse, but it was all he had.

Ignis sighed, losing the look. "At least you both made it back safely."

"Yup! See, I got that part right," Prompto reasoned.

Gladio appeared from out of nowhere, hooking an arm around him and laughing. "What, you got another part of it wrong?"

He thought back to earlier, when Noctis saw the book. "Hey, Gladio!" he exclaimed, realizing again why it had happened. "Didn't I ask you to take out the stuff from the back?" he asked in annoyance.

The bigger man released his grip on Prompto. "Uh...Was I supposed to do that?"

"Yeah, he almost saw it!" Prompto complained.

"Well, where is it, now?" Ignis questioned.

Prompto paused. "Right, I'll go get it."

He hurried back to the Regalia, making sure to avoid Noctis on his way out. Opening the trunk, he quickly gathered up the large book and the roll of wrapping paper in his arms and ran back inside, sneaking to the room in the back to finish his work.

Once he had the pictures from earlier, Prompto held them up to admire. The first one had the setting sun behind them so that their silhouettes were outlined in an orange hue. It was one of the prettier pictures he'd taken, if he had to say so himself. The other two were fun and sweet. Prompto thought he looked ridiculous captured in his open-mouthed laughter, but Noctis wouldn't accept not having that one in it.

He secured them in place and got to work wrapping it. It wasn't what he'd expect Ignis-level would be, but it was presentable. With a sharpie he found nearby, he wrote his name as neat as he could on the wrapping, adding in a "To Noctis" underneath.

When he got back to the party, Noctis was admiring a cactuar from Talcott. Apparently he had made it himself. Even Navyth showed up. Noctis looked like a little kid when he presented him with a new fishing rod. He received a few more presents as well from their friends, which were neatly placed on the end of the table, courtesy of Ignis.

Next up was his turn. Prompto had wanted to make a speech for him, but decided to keep it short and simple. Standing beside Noctis' chair, he held the gift behind his back, fiddling with the wrapping nervously as he prepared to speak. He really hoped he liked it.

"So, Noct," he began. "I've always been really grateful to be able to know you and be close to you like we are. And today's your day, so what better time to show you that?" He handed him the present, biting his lip. "I went through just about every camera I've ever had and picked out the really good pictures of all of us." Noctis' eyes went wide as he flipped through the numerous pages in the album. "Capturing memories like that is always fun, I think. Oh! And I put in a little section at the end of just us. Kind of a little journey from highschool to now. Happy birthday, Noctis."

Noctis ended on the picture from earlier, stifling a laugh. "Prom, you didn't have to outdo yourself like this," he said. But he still ran his fingers lightly over the pages, a loving glimmer in his eyes.

Prompto beamed. "Gladio and Ignis helped."

"Now, now, don't go giving us credit. We gave him our own gifts," Ignis pointed out.

"Yeah, he's right," Prompto agreed. "I did most of it."

Noctis placed the book on the table and stood up to pull Prompto into a quick kiss. "Thanks. I love it."

"Really? You do?"

"Okay, you two, cut it out with the mushy crap," Gladio interjected. "I think it's time for cake."

Cindy pat Prompto on the shoulder. "That was a real cute idea, there. Reckon it was a tough thing to put together," she said in her casual country drawl.

"Oh, thanks. It was actually pretty fun to do," he assured. "Not too much to handle."

She smiled. "Well, I'll holler for ya if I ever need help with a project like that. Take care, you two."

And she was off, presumably to join the cake line.

Prompto turned back to Noctis. "Last time I ask, I swear." Noctis rolled his eyes. "Did you have a good birthday?"

He nodded. "I'd say it was a pretty good day. You had a lot to do with it."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mh-hm. If you did all that for my birthday, just what the hell are you planning for our anniversary?" Noctis asked.

Prompto hummed in thought. "That's for you to find out later." He hadn't actually figured anything out yet, but now he knew he needed to step up his game.

"Fine, but nothing too crazy."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Sure."

Prompto laughed. He wanted to be in charge of distracting Noctis more often.


End file.
